Is it odd that the first thing I thought of when
I saw Bile Blight was the cycle of Hunted
creatures from the original Ravnica block? I
can't help it; since I play a lot of singleton
games, the only time I really see more than one
creature with the same name is tokens. As good
as Bile Blight is at hosing tokens (my Thallid
tribal Filth Casserole deck is really scared
right now), lots of people see games with
non-token creatures with the same name sharing
the battlefield, and even at times they don't,
two black mana for -3/-3 takes out an awful lot
of creatures.
Welcome back readers todays card of the day is
Bile Blight an insanely powerful removal spell
that will see a ton of standard play. In
standard this card deals effectively Pack Rat
and also can lead to a powerful board wipe for
black decks. Providing this tool to players
allows the tools to keep mono black decks in
check at least Pack Rats and serve as a powerful
monoblack deck tool as well. In nonstandard
competitive formats this card serves as a
powerful tool similar to Echoing Decay providing
a powerful upgrade. In casual and multiplayer it
deals with tokens very effectively and a solid
early game removal spell that can scale well. In
limited its removal and can help shut down early
draws that rely on multiple copies of the same
creature. Overall a card that’s going to see
tons of competitive play and serves as a
powerful removal spell.
Today's card of the day is Bile Blight which is
a two mana Black instant that gives -3/-3 until
end of turn to target creature and all other
creatures with the same name as it. This is a
solid removal spell, not quite as powerful
against a single target as other two mana Black
removal choices, but excels against tokens or
self propagating swarms.
This can replace the other removal choices in
some builds, though it may serve better as a
secondary choice or as part of the sidedeck to
use as a response to appropriate themes. Overall
this is a nice addition for mono-Black and will
see play in Devotion and other decks even if the
raw removal one on one is weaker the potential
card advantage balances it out.
In Limited almost any removal is playable and
a two mana option that can get around
Indestructible and tokens is an easy inclusion
for decks with enough Black mana to reliably
cast it. A strong second or third pick in
Booster and with a decent pool is a welcome
sight when looking to run Black as a primary
color in Sealed.
Bile Blight is a cheap removal spell that isn’t
really needed but it can be quite useful. Tokens
don’t stand a chance and neither do any of the
other small creatures. Bile Blight can easily
become a main-deck staple or a sideboard
special. Modern players may find a use for this
card, but that would mean ditching better kill
spells. In Standard, Bile Blight will be a
nightmare for Pack Rats and Master of Waves.
There aren’t any indestructible weenies in
Standard right now that Bile Blight can hit but
that may change! I’ve used this card a few times
now and overall, it is a great card during the
early game, but it is worthless late game.
